Limelight Bar
Right in downtown, a couple of miles east of the Capitol building. Games Wait Time: Depends on time of day and game selection; can be anywhere from 0 to 60 minutes, I gather. On a recent Sunday evening, the wait was about 15 minutes for 3/6 or "Seat open" for 4/8, so I played 4/8. Game Nature: Pleasant bar, with fairly active games. Fairly loose, and no high limits for people to move up to. There are many regular players, who are primarily recreational (not professionals). Rake: $3 per hand + $1 jackpot drop, taken on the flop. No flop, no drop. The house does allow chops. Posting: New players do not need to post to enter a game. Shuffling: Hand shuffling at all tables. Kills: Killer acts last. Tournaments They are also holding a series of tournaments to earn seats into a freeroll that will grant a single WPT Championship package. Currently being held Wed, Thu, and Fri. $40 buyin. Monday-Saturday morning tournaments at 10am. $25 entry, $20 re-buy, $5 service add-on. Sign up starts at 800am. Jackpots Jackpots started in Spring 2009, and now have stopped as of Sept. 18, 2009. Bad beat is the "easy way", with Aces full of anything beaten by quads. Jackpot averages around 7000-14,000, with usual 50/25/25 split up. Currently, instead of jackpots, initial buy-ins are augmented. Check at desk, the offer seems to change daily. "Limelight Nuts" promotion comes and goes, with $50.00 piad to a winning hand of 9h-4d. Ask at the desk. Atmosphere This is a bar, but not a "dive". It's a tastefully appointed, but still dark, drinking establishment that has given over the bulk of its interior to poker. Even on a Sunday night, there was music playing, but it was soft and in the background. The crowds were present but not wildly boisterous. It's a bit dark, frankly, probably to keep the mellow "bar mood", but I wish it were a bit lighter; it would be easier to see the cards. Despite being in a bar, patrons didn't seem particularly drunk. Though many were drinking, it was being done sparingly. Neighborhood: A vaguely "campustown" area about 25 blocks from CSU-Sacramento. Not so close that it's overrun by college students, but close enough that it's clearly aimed in that direction. Businesses and professional offices nearby increase the general feeling of safety; the streets stay busy at all hours. Parking: Very little onsite, about ten spaces. One block north on Alhambra Blvd, they have purchased a parking lot for about 25 more cars. Tables and Chairs: Standard 9-player tables. The felt is fairly worn, kind of "used up", but not torn or dirty. Standard metal-frame fixed-leg chairs. Service and Comps Reasonable food service and drink service almost all the time: exceptions are on Sunday nights, when the connected restaurant is having an outdoor barbeque and apparently shuts down the kitchen, and possibly sometimes very late at night. There is a Del Taco fast food joint literally next door, though, that's open 24 hours. Food and drink can be brought to the tables. Service was occasional but fairly prompt. The staff is very friendly. The manager told me they'd only recently (since Jan 06?) started serving food 24 hours on weekends. Links and Notes * Visited by MarkT in Feb 2006. * Visited by Turn Prophet on a regular basis. * Page updated by DHC Sept.2009, new no-limit buy ins edited Feb2010 * An article about Poker in Sacramento that features the Limelight prominently * Nearest competitor is probably the Capitol Casino.